XOVR
by GrievousError
Summary: After three years of cancellation, a certain someone is back for revenge. Can the heroes of Nick, Disney, and Cartoon Network stop this mad plan? Or is the world doomed? Rated T for occasional scenes of intense violence.
1. Chapter 1

Friday was business as usual across the tidy expanse of Nickelodeon Studios. Stars of the network's multiple animated series relaxed in the cafeteria, their week of shooting done. Each was looking forward to their well-deserved weekend, especially the young heroes; robot XJ9, half-ghost Danny Fenton, and mystical warrior Aang. By established custom, they were gathered at a corner table, swapping stories and planning for the two days of recreation.

Aang had just started his explanation of the concept of inner harmony when the intercom buzzed. A tinny, disjointed voice issued forth.

"Helllllloooo, everybody! This is..." A long pause followed, the occupants of the cafeteria waiting in confused silence.

"Oh yeah, this is Nick Nicholsen! I am President-Man of Nickelodeon. I looooves all the Nick. Loves! We…I…they have a special announcement! I!"

The characters looked at each other. They had never heard of Nick Nicholsen, nor had they been under the impression that their studio was run by a total moron.

"Special news…Here it is! Jenny Wakeman! Danny Fenton! Aang...guh! You're canceled! Bye-bye!"

The cafeteria remained in silence for a full minute.

"What?" all three heroes exclaimed as one.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Jenny pleaded at the ceiling.

"That's total crap!" Danny yelled, shaking his fist.

It was Aang who made the most powerful reply. He simply sighed, got up from the table, and walked out the door before anyone else could react. The room fell into silence once more.

Once outside, Aang looked up and down the sidewalk, which stretched off to the horizons, devoid of people. The Avatar sat down on the curb, resting his arms across his knees, and his head on his arms. His eyes, usually wide and bright, were drooped close to being shut, but he held no expression on his face. Overhead, the Central Broadcasting dish loomed like a mammoth cloud. It was from there that all of Nickelodeon's shows were beamed to satellites and televisions around the world; it might as well have been the heart and brain of the network itself. But Aang wasn't paying any attention to it. So, this was where being a hero had led him; into oblivion, syndication. A burning death at the hands of Admiral Zhao might have been a less painful experience.

When Danny and Jenny walked into the early evening air, he barely noticed them.

"Aang?" Jenny began. Aang didn't stir, and Danny seemed to be just as speechless.

"Aang, I'm sure this is all a mistake. The network wouldn't just cancel without letting us know ahead of time." The android girl's words sounded sensible, even logical. "We just need to go and talk with Mister…Nicholsen. By morning, this'll all be smoothed out."

"Don't lie."

Aang hadn't even turned around, hadn't raised his voice, but the accusation split the air like a whip.

"You know it's not a mistake. They can throw us out whenever they want to."

"Well, I know, but that doesn't mean-"

Aang jumped to his feet, fists clenched. His face was pinched down, just on the verge of crying.

"I know what it means, Jenny! It means we're done! Over!" Whirling down the sidewalk, he took off running. The two made no move to follow him.

Jenny set her hands on her hips, a disapproving frown on her face.

"I don't know how a baby like him is supposed to be a hero. This is just some cheap prank, and I'm going to find out who's behind it.

"I dunno, Jenny."

"What?" the robot girl asked, her voice deadly quiet.

Danny shrugged.

"I think Aang's right. The network can throw us pretty much when they don't feel like putting up with us anymore." The half-ghost sighed. "I'll see you later, Jenny. I'm gonna be late."

"Fine!" Jenny said angrily. "Go cry! I'm going to find out what's going on!"

Igniting the rocket boosters secreted in her twin ponytails, the android shot into the air, pulled into a tidy Immelman turn, and took off for Central Broadcasting.

The building was dark and deserted, except for a few dim fluorescents that were lit twenty-four hours. At night, the whole network was run automatically, directed by banks of computers. Of course, except for Sanitary Detail.

Jenny let herself in through the service entrance, using a janitor's pass code. It came in handy from time to time, having a genuine photographic/phonographic memory. Not feeling the need for secrecy, the android made no attempt to hide her movements from the scattered security cameras, which undoubtedly not register her as a real intruder in the first place.

She checked a wall-mounted map; the manager's office was located just over the building's main workstation. She could cut through there to lessen the inconvenience of being late for dinner.

Jenny opened the double doors into the workstation, and froze. The room looked nothing like what it should. Massive cables ran through it like veins, all hanging from what used to be ceiling, now a yawning black hole. The vile network ran to the center of the distorted room, connected to what looked like a crescent-shaped throne. Surrounded by glowing holographic displays, the chair pulsed with sickly green illumination. It was like some horrible parasite, eating its host alive.

Jenny had no time to react as the throne swiveled towards her. Through the static-charged gloom, all she could discern were a pair of eyes. Switching to infrared vision, the robot girl clapped her hands to her mouth at who she saw in the chair.

"You!"

It was all she had time to say before dozens of the reddish cables seized her, pulling her into the mechanical abyss.

The seated figure grinned, reclining its control throne.

"Woo! Got one!" the voice of "Nick Nicholsen" cried.

"Gir! Don't spoil the moment! Phase One has gone off without error. Prepare for Phase Two!"

The figure's three-fingered danced jabbed at the holo-panels floating in midair around it. Two surveillance images popped into view:

Aang, walking through a dark forest, calling for his friends.

Danny, entering his front door.

_End of Chapter 1_


	2. Chapter 2

Here is Chapter Two of XOVR; I hope you've enjoyed it so far. Don't forget to review!

* * *

Danny didn't arrive home until just before his ten' o'clock curfew. The very thought of explaining to his family that the network had cancelled them made his stomach drop like a skydiving elephant. He could almost see their separate reactions in his mind's eye: Jazz would blame everyone, starting with Danny and ending with herself, than suffer a nervous breakdown. His mother would act unruffled and try to make the family see the positive side of this, and his father would be totally uncomprehending and wind up shouting about ghosts. 

Following Danny's arrival, his mental script didn't play out as expected.

"Mom, Dad…I've got some bad news."

"What is it, son?"

"It's about…us."

"Go on, Danny."

It's we're…"

"Spit it out!"

"Canceled!"

Since no one could muster a response, Danny continued: "Yeah, canceled. An before any of you even start, none of us are to blame, there is nothing good positive about this at all, and it has nothing to do with ghosts!"

Answered again by silence, Danny shifted uncomfortably, shame flushing his face. He finished:

"I'm going to bed. Don't bother waking me up tomorrow."

The ghost boy collapsed face-first onto his bed. There were hushed voices from downstairs, so low he couldn't even tell who was talking. Danny cursed himself for his behavior; he was acting like a stupid child, projecting his own anger and frustration onto the people who deserved it the least.

Turning over onto his back, he rubbed his temples, trying to calm down. He needed to call Sam and Tucker; maybe they would be open to commiseration.

Danny picked his cellular phone out of his pocket and speed-dialed Sam's number. He frowned; there was no ring at the other end. Clicking the End Call button, Danny flipped to Tuck's number. Again, nothing. He checked the phone's reception and battery readouts- both full.

"It's okay," Danny said to himself. "It's late; Tuck and Sam's parents probably just made them turn their phones off."

The excuse sounded stupid, even as the words went through his mind. Sam defied her parents at every possible turn, and Tucker considered the deactivation of any electronic device akin to murder.

Before he had a chance to give his friends further thought, the whole house shook violently, jarring Danny out of bed and into an undignified heap on the floor. A high scream pierced the air, freezing Danny's blood. It didn't even occur to him to transform as he burst out of his bedroom and leapt down the stairs.

The living room was in ruins. A jagged hole, at least fifteen feet high, had been torn through what had been the wall surrounding the front door. The furniture was slashed, stuffing strewn about like off-season snow. And, marking the floor, were huge, canoe-shaped gouges; like giant, freakish footprints.

Another scream reached Danny's ears, this one coming from the kitchen. And he recognized it.

"Jazz!"

* * *

Danny dashed through another torn-up wall, skidding to a halt the sight in the kitchen. 

Jazz Fenton was backed up against the far wall, shielding herself behind the upended table. In front of her stood a horrible beast, crimson in color, advancing slowly, as if savoring her fear. Under the crook of its left arm hung Jack and Maddie Fenton, motionless.

The creature's right arm moved in a blur, ripping the table into splinters. Danny had no time to think. He rushed forward, feeling the electric charge of his transformation surge involuntarily through every cell in his body. He didn't even realize that he was yelling at the top of his lungs. The beast, possessing two giant, rabbit-like ears, did notice.

Dropping the still Fentons, it backhanded the half-transformed boy, sending him flying back into the living room. Bouncing off the last undamaged wall, Danny fell to the floor, dazed by the impact. His limbs felt like gelatin, and his head like a bowling ball. Somehow, he managed to haul himself up, just in time to see the beast strike his sister to the floor.

Danny wouldn't remember anything following that. He wouldn't remember flying at the creature, smashing it through the kitchen wall and into the night air. He wouldn't remember its blood-red eyes and ovoid head full of needle-like teeth, snarling in pain. He wouldn't remember throwing it to earth with meteoric force, smashing the road for a block into gravel. And he wouldn't remember plunging his hands, charged with ghostly energy, into the monsters very solid body, grasping onto its bones, and tearing it in half.

Danny's senses returned as he knelt on the wrecked street, gasping for breath. He was shivering, but felt oddly warm. Opening his eyes, he saw the reason why: from head to foot, he was drenched in still-warm blood.

He would remember that forever.


	3. Chapter 3

Well, somehow I managed to integrate schoolwork and fanwork! Here's Chapter Three, where I introduce my guest character. He'll pop up every now and then throughout the story. But, for next time: Who's behind this fiendish plot? Crashing at Danny's house: Aang, Zuko, and _Vlad_? Stay tuned!

* * *

Four in the morning; the streets of Cartoon Network Studios were empty, lit only in patches by streetlamps. Taking advantage of the late hour, a figure clad in a long black jacket and holding an attaché case, darted from shadow to shadow, as if fearing some unseen enemy.

The figure pressed itself into the sliver of shadow on a street corner, then ducked and ran across the silent intersection, not stopping until it had opened the door of a small twenty-four-hour café and thrown itself inside.

There was one customer, resting his elbows on the polished marble bar. Dressed in a tightly buttoned tan trench coat with upturned collar, with a fedora jammed down to brow level and thick leather boots and gloves, he looked like some horrible parody of a pulp detective. There was no drink or food in front of him, and the single night-shift clerk seemed to be doing his best to stay away from the oddly-dressed character.

"Ah…you're h-here."

"As we arranged."

"Y-yes, splendid."

Seating himself, the figure from outside set his attaché case on the bar. Before he could muster enough breath to begin their conversation again, the coated man cut him off.

"You don't have to stutter out any explanations. I _know_ why I'm here."

"Then…you heard?"

"A few rumors, but nothing substantial."

The nervous figure fumbled with the locks on his case, opening it with shaking hands.

He extracted one of the papers from inside it, drew a slow breath, and began to read in a considerably calmer tone.

"Since ten o'clock PM yesterday- that's six hours- broadcasts fromNickelodeon Studioshave ceased. All attempts to contact have failed. Total communication blackout suspected; cause or culprit unknown."

Stuffing the sheet back inside, he withdrew another.

"Two AM: Received anonymous tip. Source untraceable, but believe tip to be valid. CB Committeehas processed and approved immediate emergency measures-"

"That would be me, correct?" the coated man interrupted.

"Quite so. I've been…volunteered…to request your services. Right now, we just need a man in the field; st-strictly reconnaissance."

For the first time, the coated man turned to the jacketed emissary. Under the brim of his fedora, luminescent yellow eyes, slit by cat-like pupils, glared out with the force of twin lasers.

"And what if the situation goes critical?"

"You'll be im-mediately apprised of any new int-intelligence we have, and receive instructions accordingly."

"Don't play games with me, boy!" the coated man said, emphasizing the "don't" by

slamming his gloved fist into the attaché case. It bent in half under the sudden pressure.

"Of c-course not, s-sir. Believe me; we're in the dark as much as anyone! But, yes, if circumstances are accelerated beyond our control, you'll be authorized Double-Zero."

In the shadow of his hat, the coated man's eyes squinted; his approximation of a smile.

"Good talking with you, Eddward."

The smaller figure gave a sight of relief.

"W-welcome back…General."


	4. Chapter 4

This is the last talky chapter for a while; mayhem and doom start in Chapter Five!Where are Katara and Sokka?Our heroes meet evil face-to-face!

* * *

"Danny?"

The voice was hazy, yet familiar.

"Go 'way."

"Danny, wake up!"

Groaning, Danny opened his eyes, seeing his sisters' face hovering directly over his. He started violently, jerking himself up onto his bed's headboard.

"Geez…never do that again, please!"

"Danny, are you feeling okay?"

"Okay? Why wouldn't…"

It came back to him in a flood, confused images like those in a nightmare. The creature tearing the house apart, his family unmoving on the floor, and himself, drowning in blood.

Involuntarily, Danny's hands went to his arms, rubbing spasmodically. Blood everywhere…

"Danny, snap out of it!"

His sisters' reproach brought him back to reality. No blood, no monster. Danny was starting to think that it had been a dream, when he finally noticed the bandage Jazz was sporting across her forehead. He also noticed that there were a few extra pieces of furniture in his room; things that looked like they belonged in a hospital, machines that trailed wires hooked to electrodes, stuck to his head, chest, and arms.

"Do you remember anything?" Jazz asked, concern widening her eyes.

"More than I'd care to. Mom…Dad…"

"They're fine. Well, they're not in immediate danger, anyways. A few broken bones between them, but nothing major."

"How about you?"

Jasmine waved Danny's question aside.

"Just a scratch. It's not important. Danny…there are some…people…here to talk to you."

Danny started pulling off the electrodes. They left an unpleasantly cold feeling behind

"Okay…Jazz, normally I'd ask you what the heck was going on, but since I'm pretty sure that you're as clueless about this as me, I'll just ask this: can I have my pants?"

* * *

Fully clothed again, Danny made his way down the staircase, followed by Jazz. He glanced toward the gaping hole in the front of the house; it was sealed by massive metallic shutters. Concluding that the entire house was probably covered with them, and blessing his father's redundant nature, Danny turned down the basement stairs.

Three people awaited him inside his parent's laboratory: Aang, looking at little battered, his clothes ripped, and still wearing the dejected look Danny had seen him wear when their cancellations had been announced only hours before.

The second, Danny didn't recognize, but by his anachronistic garb, the ghost-boy figured that he was one of Aang's co-stars. The scarred boy was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over a swath of bandages tied around his chest.

Standing in the shadows, further back from the other two, was a tall figure in a well-pressed suit, looking poised and smug as ever.

"Plasmius!"

"Everyone knows I'm here, Daniel. There's no need for theatrics."

"Theatrics? I'll do a one-man production of _Pain_ on your face, if you don't get out of my house!" Danny's eyes, normally blue, and abnormally green, flared a bright yellow-green.

Aang stepped between the two half-ghosts, his expression changed to a cold mask of stone.

"Stop it, now. This isn't helping, Danny."

"Helping? I don't even know what's going on!"

Aang sighed, his dejected look returning.

"Something bad. _Very_ bad."

Vlad Masters, alias Vlad Plasmius, cleared his throat, smoothing his tie at the same time.

"Generalities aside, I believe I can help clear that up for you, Daniel. Our network has come under an attack of some kind; all communication from within and without has been cut off. All programming has been cancelled."

"_All_? How's that possible?"

"Whoever is coordinating this must have control of the Central Broadcasting array. In short, they control the whole of Nickelodeon."

The bandaged boy narrowed his eyes, the giant burn scar over his left eye shifting unpleasantly.

"And how exactly do you know all this?"

Vlad gave a narrow smile, his own eyes narrowed with contempt.

"I always know what I need to know."

The scarred boy snorted. Aang gave an exasperated sigh, stepping in between them now.

"Zuko, calm down. This won't do that wound any good."

"Shut up," Zuko replied sharply. "I don't need your counsel, or this fool's. I just want to find whoever it was who had the gall to challenge me, and burn him to ashes!"

"That'll be difficult, considering the shape you're in," the Avatar replied evenly. "You couldn't Bend enough to catch a dry leaf on fire."

"I said shut up!"

"_Enough!_"

Danny's voice shook the basement, solid though it was. His temper has still not receded, but there was more than ghostly rage in his eyes.

"Plasmius, tell me _exactly_ what's happened."

The older half-ghost smoothed his hair back, thinking.

"As I said, all programming has been canceled, directly from Central Broadcasting. Additionally, the Fifth Walls, the barriers that keep Nickelodeon's programs mostly separate from one another, have been weakened or removed. That's how attacks like the one here happened."

"Wait; that monster was a Nicktoon?"

Plasmius smirked. "Indeed. Ickis, a Real Monster. Canceled several years ago, and apparently recruited into some kind of army. Or enslaved."

Vlad pointed a small object on one of the lab tables. Spherical, red, and sprouting two small tendrils, it was also covered with dried blood.

"I took this off the body. There's no interface, so I can't determine what it is, and I can't seem to dismantle it, so I can't even tell what it's made out of."

"So, you're clueless too. Fine."

Danny ignored Vlad's enraged spluttering, and turned to Aang and Zuko.

"You guys ready for a little mayhem?"


End file.
